Game Fits the President to a T--er, Tee

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. —  The sky appeared darker than black bean soup as night fell on a foursome finishing the short, scenic 16th hole that borders the Atlantic Ocean. After the last putt dropped into the cup, someone suggested that perhaps it was time to end the round and return to the clubhouse.

“No! No! I’ve played when it’s darker than this,” one golfer implored. “Let’s just keep going.”

The die-hard duffer was President Clinton, who, despite enduring more than five hours and his share of flubbed shots on the course, desperately wanted to continue. So, each man took turns hitting away into the night and, with the assistance of flashlight-waving Secret Service agents, found their balls and pressed on for two more holes.

“It’s bizarre, isn’t it?” said Richard Lawrence, a Cincinnati medical malpractice lawyer who accompanied Clinton on the round. “Think about it. Playing golf in the dark. That is the little boy in him. He was having fun and didn’t want to quit.”

There’s an old saw that you can learn a lot about a man’s character after spending a few hours on the golf course with him. Is he a risk taker? Does he handle adversity well? How large is his ego? Is he an engaging partner? Does he count all of his strokes?

But, with few exceptions, the public has no opportunity to observe the nation’s First Golfer in action. He typically plays exclusive country clubs that are off-limits to anyone but dues-paying members and invited guests. When he is traveling or vacationing, television cameras usually are allowed only to record the president teeing off on the first tee or finishing on the 18th green. Such restricted access provides no real insight into his game or his personality.

Earlier this month, I found myself playing behind Clinton’s foursome at the Golf Club at Amelia Island. I was covering the Democratic National Committee’s “autumn retreat” for fat-cat donors at the tony Ritz-Carlton resort off the coast of northern Florida. About 50 supporters shelled out $50,000 each to spend a quaint weekend with Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

I monitored Clinton’s playing habits as our respective groups crossed paths on several holes over the tree-lined, 6,119-yard course. Later, I interviewed the president’s playing partners and the golf professional who escorted him throughout the round.

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It has been well documented that Clinton is a certifiable golf fanatic. He took up the game as a youngster and played often while governor of Arkansas. Early in his first term, he had a practice green installed on the South Lawn of the White House to hone his putting and chipping skills. Clinton, according to a former administration official, is determined to beat Dwight D. Eisenhower’s record for most presidential rounds in a year--100.

The first question that invariably pops up when someone hears you’ve watched Clinton play golf is: “Does he really cheat?”

That’s because Clinton, not unlike his political persona, has developed a reputation in the golf fraternity as a notorious fudge artist. Despite persistent reports questioning the accuracy of his scores, the president has boasted of shooting in the low 80s and, on rare occasions, in the high 70s.

The integrity issue surfaced again last weekend when Clinton appeared on the 50th anniversary show of NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Asked in a lengthy interview how many mulligans--golf lingo for “do-overs”--he takes during the average 18 holes, the president responded, “One.”

Some eyewitnesses have suggested the number is a bit higher.

The president’s Nov. 2 round on Amelia Island offered some insight: Yes, he took a lot of practice shots on the course. On all but a few occasions, though, he played his original ball. Moreover, the president encouraged others to take a “gimme” before putting the ball into the hole and didn’t seem to mind picking up a few short putts himself.

One Amelia Island partner put it delicately when he confided to me that Clinton does not play a “traditional” round of golf.

It is evident--even from a distance--that Clinton is a gregarious chap on the links. He chomped on a white tee, grinning approvingly after his better shots and moaning good-naturedly after his bad ones. He was the first to loudly offer praise whenever someone hit a nice shot or sunk a long putt.

Clinton also was extremely courteous whenever he encountered wealthy homeowners--mostly Republicans--who waited in their yards along the course for him to play through. He never seemed to pass up an opportunity to shake hands, pose for photographs or even pet the family dog.

“The president was just charming, delightful,” said Stuart Moldaw, a Northern Californian who founded Ross Stores and played with Clinton on the front nine. “He made everybody so comfortable. . . . You could see it wasn’t contrived.”

Throughout the round, Clinton deflected any inquiries about policy issues, making it clear to his partners that he was interested solely in talking nonstop golf, from his famous playing partners (Michael Jordan, Arnold Palmer and top pro Greg Norman, to name a few) to his selection of clubs (which appeared to exceed the limit of 14).

Clinton is dead serious about his golf game as well.

When he hit an occasional errant shot, the president turned to golf pro Keith Gibson and demanded a detailed analysis of his swing. “What happened there? . . . Was it my stance? . . . Was I aimed in the right direction? . . . Was my backswing too fast?” After receiving advice from Gibson, Clinton invariably dropped another ball or two and attempted to correct his flaws.

“I was surprised how intense he was in doing well on the course,” said Wayne Rogers, president of Synergics Energy Development, an Annapolis, Md., firm. “He’s not out there because it’s sunny and a nice day.”

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Clinton’s round at Amelia Island ranked as one of the most lucrative in the history of the sport. He played with five partners who coughed up $50,000 apiece for the privilege to be there. That’s $250,000 for one round--far more than Tiger Woods, this year’s leading PGA Tour money winner, collected in one day.

Here is a blow-by-blow account of highlights of Clinton’s round:

Hole No. 1 (Par 4, 386 yards): The president was driven to the tee in a limousine and introduced to his playing partners: NBC White House correspondent John Palmer, Moldaw and Rogers. The president suggested that everyone take two or three practice shots before beginning the round. With a large crowd of residents, camera crews and reporters watching, the first fairway was converted into a temporary driving range as balls soared all about.

“That is definitely not typical,” said Gibson, the golf pro, in an understatement.

When practice ended, the president ripped his first ball 240 yards down the middle of the fairway.

Hole No. 3 (Par 4, 319 yards): We halted play on the second fairway to watch the president’s foursome putt out. After finishing the hole, Clinton walked away from his group into a lightly wooded area. He paused, unzipped his trousers and attended to some personal business. (Note to Paula Corbin Jones’ attorney: No distinguishing characteristics were detected from our view.)

The impromptu presidential pit stop provided a slightly awkward moment for Clinton’s playing partners. “Whoa!” said one member of the foursome. “What is proper etiquette at that point? Wait over to the side? Play along?”

Hole No. 4 (Par 4, 354 yards): He may be regarded as indecisive and a flip-flopper on policy matters, but on the course, Clinton is a take-charge guy who doesn’t back down from taking risks. Facing a long fairway shot over trees and a pond, Clinton pulled out his three-iron and decided without hesitation to go for the green.

His ball was smacked into the trees and plopped into the drink. He ended up with a triple-bogey seven.

After Clinton’s foursome passed through, nearby residents waded into the pond hoping to recover a Titleist bearing the presidential seal and Clinton’s autograph. They were no doubt disappointed to learn that he was hitting regular Maxflis instead.

Hole No. 10 (Par 4, 380 yards): Waiting nervously on the tee for Clinton to approach were three new playing partners--Lawrence; Lee McIntire, a partner in the Bechtel Group of San Francisco; and William P. O’Reilly, CEO of a Michigan data communications firm.

O’Reilly said he made it clear to DNC officials that he wanted to play with Clinton if he was going to cough up the $50,000 for the weekend. Lawrence learned about his famous playing partner the same morning over breakfast.

“My stomach went into my throat,” he recalled.

Clinton seemed to recognize the collective anxiety and immediately put the group at ease. The president recalled how he felt when he played with Greg Norman in Australia. “I’ve been in your shoes,” he reassured the group.

Hole No. 15 (Par 5, 481 yards): We stopped in the 12th fairway to watch Clinton tee off. He pulled out a red-shafted Great Big Bertha driver and hit a big slice, his body curling with the ball as it went way right. After everyone hit, Clinton took another shot and hit it in the fairway.

“He would yank his drive out of bounds, turn to me and say, ‘Look, you let me hit another one, I’ll let you hit another one,’ ” Lawrence explained later.

Hole No. 17 (Par 4, 321 yards): Dusk came and went, leaving so little light we could barely see the ground. On the tee, Clinton explained the rules of night golf according to Bill: “You put your ball down and hit it. If you don’t find it, you put it down next to whoever’s ball you do find.”

At dinner that evening, Clinton reveled in recalling the day’s round with his mates. The president reported that, although unhappy with his tee shots, he fired a respectable 83.

Did he cheat?

“No. What he does is hit a lot of balls because he wants to get it right,” Palmer said.